Understanding Man-management and managerial skills as in the Tamil Classic “Tirukkural”

Abstract : In this article, we are interested to look into the suggestions made by an ancient saint-poet of Tamil Nadu, namely, Tiruvaḷḷuvar (whose work, Tirukkuṛaḷ, is considered to be a universal canon - ulaga podumaṛai). This attempt is made in line with the exhortation made by Bhagawad Gita, the holy text of the Hindus, Guru Granth Sahib, the holy text of Sikhism; alongside the pronouncements of Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and that the core competence should guide any development. The wealth of spirituality with its emphasis on human values is the core competence of India. Hence I have tried to see if anything can be suggested from an ancient text, namely, Tirukkuṛaḷ. It is to be noted that this attempt is a thematic appraisal of some of the couplets from that work (out of the 1330 couplets) as Tiruvaḷḷuvar has suggested these to the common man and to the ruler with respect to identifying the right act, planning, coordination, execution and management. The most important aspect of management is man-management and that is taken us so as to result in better utilisation of the resources on hand (be it the economic backing or the skills of the person involved). In this attempt, we try to look into the suggestions given by the Tirukkuṛaḷ on managerial aspects of planning, coordination and execution with an eye on human values for the betterment of the organisation and also those who contribute to the organisation.